


Hikari

by totaldile



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Angst, Goodbyes, Send-Off
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-04-01
Packaged: 2018-05-30 13:15:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6425464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/totaldile/pseuds/totaldile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As hard as it is, you say goodbye to Muse with a smile on your face. </p>
<p>A second-person send-off fic for Muse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hikari

**Author's Note:**

> Initially, I wasn't going to write anything for the Final Live, but after two whole days of sobbing my eyes out, and generally feeling awful, something sort of amazing happened. I received an SR from one of the scouting tickets we got on SIF. Not only was this SR pure, for my weakest team, but it was also Nico. I couldn't help but see it as Nico telling me to cheer up, because it's not the end. This short fic is inspired by that little happening, I guess.

Your eyes are long-bleary, sore and red. It’s been a long, long two days, and every time you allow your thoughts to wander, just for a moment, your tears threaten to spill over onto your cheeks. They’re still wet from the last time it happened.

You’d known this was coming – ever since December, and even before – but it didn’t prepare you for _this_. It didn’t prepare you for the hurt of being left behind.

It didn’t prepare you for the cold, cold realisation that this is the end.

You’d never thought that nine girls from a country could steal your heart away so suddenly, but here they are, and here you are, with tears in your eyes and a low ache in your chest that doesn’t want to go away no matter what you do.

It hurts.

It’s been a long, tumultuous five years. You were apprehensive at first, but once you heard Snow Halation, you couldn’t look back. You came to appreciate each and every song – finding favourites in places you’d never thought of looking, from girls whose voices you questioned. You went from not being able to tell any of them apart to knowing exactly who was singing at any given time. You can hum out the melody to any song on command, and for your favourites, you know every lyric. You’ve heard every song – over 120 of them. It’d take you five seconds at most to name the song you hear.

Before you can even reach the chorus of the first song on your playlist, you’re tearing up again.

You know each of the girls like close friends, too. Rin, your born athlete and shining star. Hanayo, your shy but passionate rice queen and idol enthusiast. Maki, your music lover and talented composer. Nozomi, your mother figure and lonely soul. Nico, your one true super idol. Eli, your sensible president and surprisingly silly senior. Kotori, your confident, supportive costume designer. Umi, your strict yet goofy lyricist.

Honoka, the girl with so much passion and drive who started it all.

You can’t help but think how far they’ve come, from an empty school hall to performing at the Tokyo Dome, broadcast live internationally. In just these five years, they’ve surpassed every single of their goals, and soared higher than they ever could have dreamed. You’ve been running after them all the while, supporting them as they changed the world – as they changed your world.

Now, you’ve stopped chasing, and all you can do is watch as their silhouettes grow smaller against the horizon. You want to reach out and call for them, but even if you do, they won’t hear you.

The end has never been an easy thing to accept, and you sink into yourself as you start to cry again. You’ll never see them again, never ever. This is the Final Live, the _finale_. Once it’s over, there’ll be nothing left but memories, and the bitter realisation that never again will you –

“Hey!”

A voice calls to you from just in front of you – but wait, you _know_ that voice. You know it so well, you couldn’t possibly mistake it, but you lift your head anyway just to check.

Red eyes, red ribbons and twin tails stare back at you, hands on hips with an indignant expression.

Oh, you know her so well.

You can’t help it when your face crumples a little because – this is the end, the _end,_ and you’ll never see them aga –

“Why are you crying?” she asks, and you’d expect offense but there’s nothing but concern on her face. “An idol’s job is to make people smile, you know? What kind of Number One Idol would I be if I couldn’t put a big grin on one of my fan’s faces? You’re making me look bad.”

But then her expression softens, and she brushes her thumb across your cheek, wiping away your tears.

“Come on, we need a big smile!” she says, bringing her hands to the side of her head, and posing. “Together with me now, alright? Nico Nico Nii~”

You mirror her movements, clumsy, but the smile quite so hard to fake when she’s there right in front you, grinning along.

“See? Isn’t that better?” she says, and you can’t help but grin back, even through the wetness on your cheeks.

“It’s not the end, you know,” she says, looking back at the flashing concert lights. “It might be the Final Live, but we’re never going to stop caring about our fans – about you. Umi’s lyrics were right, you know. Maybe it hurts, but our greatest ever moment is right now.”

She grins even harder, and extends a hand.

“So chin up, alright? Don’t cry anymore. We’ll always be watching over you, forever and ever.”

With a shaky breath, you take her hand, and squeeze it tight.

Even though there are still tears running down your cheeks as she walks away, you’re smiling all the while.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, Muse, for being a part of my life.


End file.
